Abstract:Due to their low density, good room-temperature plasticity, and excellent high-temperature toughness, refractory niobium alloys have been used in hot-end components in the aerospace field. However, niobium alloys prepared by traditional casting methods are difficult to process parts with complex geometries, and met problems like long processing period, expensive price and high buy-to-fly ratio. The rapid development of additive manufacturing technology in recent years not only reduces the production period and cost, but also obtains superior mechanical properties, which brings new opportunities for the further application of niobium alloys. To this end, this paper reviews the current state-of-art research on additively manufactured niobium alloys, focusing on the laser and electron-beam additive manufacturing of two generations of typical niobium alloys, namely C-103 and Nb521, in particular with regard to the modulation of their mechanical properties and microstructure. In addition, common types of niobium alloys and additive manufacturing methods are briefly introduced. Finally, the future direction of additively manufactured niobium alloys and the problems that still need to be solved are proposed. By reviewing the field of additively manufactured niobium alloys, this paper provides a reference for the further application of niobium alloys in the aerospace field for hot-end components of complex structures.